The Sharks announced the deal hours before their home opener against Atlanta. It comes as little surprise given that Thornton has long talked about his desire to stay in San Jose and the Sharks never wanted him to test free agency after this season.

The 1991 deal that brought Ron Francis and Ulf Samuelsson to Pittsburgh is widely considered one of the best trade deadline deals because it helped the Penguins win two consecutive championships. The deal, though, happened the day before that year's deadline. A review of the last dozen seasons shows that waiting until the final day doesn't necessarily lead to playoff success: